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With My Baby in a corporate custody battle, SouthPeak will try to tap the eager-to-learn demographic with a new line of educational products -- the first of which will be the biblically-inspired Tap and Teach: The Story of Noah's Ark for DS. Setting sail, er, floating through retail waters this November, the game is, according to SouthPeak CEO Melanie Mrox, part of a strategic initiative "designed to capture share of the rapidly expanding educational gaming sector."

SouthPeak's Noah's Ark -- not to be confused with Noah's Arc or Super 3D Noah's Ark -- is an interactive storybook designed to help kids ages 3-6 with their reading skills. The Tap and Teach franchise is marketed as "wholesome fun" -- the kind that parents can "trust." Rest assured, any minigame about "the birds and the bees" will be strictly about birds and bees.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsedutainmentnintendoNoahs-arkrazorback-developmentsSouthPeaktap-and-teach-the-story-of-noahs-arkThu, 28 Oct 2010 03:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/mcdonalds-japan-trains-employees-with-new-dsi-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/mcdonalds-japan-trains-employees-with-new-dsi-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/20/mcdonalds-japan-trains-employees-with-new-dsi-game/#comments
Nintendo's partnership with McDonald's in Japan has been extended to help train the restaurant chain's employees in the finer details of fast food assembly. Bloomberg visited McDonald's training center in Japan to get some hands-on time with the training simulation (video embedded after the break), discovering that the golden arches-branded DSis will be distributed to McDonald's all over the country for training purposes.

Aside from unveiling the training software, Japanese McDonald's reps showed off their undeniably stylish work uniforms and surprisingly friendly demeanors. We can't help but attribute at least part of the latter's explanation to the fact that these folks are playing with Nintendo DSis at work. Better than flipping burgers, no?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSdsiedutainmentfast-foodjapanmcdonaldsNintendotrainingTue, 20 Apr 2010 17:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/13/new-sesame-street-games-on-the-way-saysa-warner-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/13/new-sesame-street-games-on-the-way-saysa-warner-bros/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/13/new-sesame-street-games-on-the-way-saysa-warner-bros/#comments
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has inked crayoned a deal with Sesame Workshop to produce a new series of games based on the beloved edutainment property, Sesame Street. According to an AP report, the partnership is designed to capitalize on a "big open hole in the market," which is easily filled with children and their open-minded parents.

"This is the first generation of parents who grew up as gamers," said WBIE senior vice president of marketing, Russel Arons. "Unlike prior generations where people weren't sure of the value of video games, these are people who know there's value and fun for the whole family."

Warner Bros. has yet to announce specifics -- like target platforms or release dates -- but has allegedly expressed interest in the motion controllers set to arrive on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year (presumably, the desire to work on Nintendo's Wii goes without saying). Terry Fitzpatrick, Sesame Workshop's executive vice president of distribution, believes that the casual-friendly input "makes it very easy and is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers, as opposed to dealing with a very complex controller."

With Microsoft's Project Natal eliminating the controller entirely, we're sure to see some wonderful numeracy games involving Cookie Monster shoveling as many baked treats into his face as possible. We do that in front of the TV every day, so we may as well get points for it.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualeducationaledutainmentsesame-streetsesame-workshopwarner-broswarner-bros-interactive-entertainmentWed, 13 Jan 2010 22:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/01/square-enix-edutaining-japans-children-with-miffy/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/01/square-enix-edutaining-japans-children-with-miffy/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/01/square-enix-edutaining-japans-children-with-miffy/#commentsLast year, Square Enix released a couple of licensed DS games in Japan based on Snoopy and Pingu, targeted at children. While the Pure Dreams label didn't last beyond those two games, the company is still producing licensed content for young gamers, most recently in the form of a Miffygame for Wii.

Oyako de Asobo Miffy no Omochabako (Play for Kids and Parents Miffy's Toybox) is an edutainment game with 25 different minigames, all featuring the adorable, X-mouthed rabbit, designed for parents and youngsters to play together. A coloring minigame can be transferred from the Wii game to the DS.

When Final Fantasy XIII comes out in North America in March, it'll already be old hat to Japanese gamers, who will be eagerly awaiting the March 18 release of this game.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>edutainmentjapanmiffysquare-enixTue, 01 Dec 2009 16:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/14/activision-shamelessly-announces-science-papa/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/14/activision-shamelessly-announces-science-papa/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/14/activision-shamelessly-announces-science-papa/#commentsActivision came up with a great new idea for a Wii/DS game. It's a bunch of short minigames, right, but each minigame is a component of the process of creating something. Like, say, steps in a recipe. In this particular game, you will perform scientific experiments "from a wide variety of sciences."

Science Papa features "over 30 different experiments," during which players will manipulate lab equipment like Bunsen burners, mix chemicals, and perform other stylus/Wiimote-based activities in order to "prove their scientific worth against a crazy cast of rival scientists in intense competitions."

Here's where it gets really brilliant: while you're doing these experiments, or following these "recipes," if you will, you'll be guided by a cute, cartoon-style helper. A sort of parental figure. We're surprised that nobody else has come up with this winning formula yet!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionedutainmentminigamessciencescience-papaThu, 14 May 2009 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/nintendos-next-step-may-be-into-the-playpen/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/nintendos-next-step-may-be-into-the-playpen/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/20/nintendos-next-step-may-be-into-the-playpen/#comments
A patent filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office today tells the tale of an edutainment-laden future for Nintendo, reports Siliconera. According to the patent, the console maker's next property (properties?) may feature a mess of different learning tools aimed at young children, defined in the patent as, "toddlers and pre-kindergartners, and/or people with disabilities." The various ideas presented within the patent range from matching animal sounds with animal pictures to lessons in daily chores to building your first laser gun. Alright -- fine -- we made up that last one.

Littered throughout the images included with the patent are a couple of familiar Nintendo characters (Mario and Pikachu), though, according to Siliconera, the report specifically mentions "television and/or licensed cartoon characters like Pikachu, Dora the Explorer, and Bob the Builder."

Though this patent may have been filed, we want to remind you that none of these plans are by any means final and for all anyone knows, could be nothing more than what they are now -- ideas. One thing is for sure, no matter what happens, we all now know that Nintendo believes children to wear totally badass future shoes. Check out the gallery below for an extensive visual tour of what may very well be the next step Nintendo takes.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bob-the-builderdora-the-exploreredutainmentmarioNintendopatentpikachusiliconeraWiiFri, 20 Mar 2009 19:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/13/fall-out-boy-goes-on-oregon-trail-dies-of-starvation/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/13/fall-out-boy-goes-on-oregon-trail-dies-of-starvation/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/13/fall-out-boy-goes-on-oregon-trail-dies-of-starvation/#comments
We're used to winning our concert tickets by being the ninth caller or answering obscure trivia (the kind that only someone with a pillow shaped like the singer would know). The band Fall Out Boy, however, has other plans. The Illinois rockers recently rolled out a faithful parody of edutainment classic The Oregon Trail for fans to play for a chance to score passes to the band's latest North America tour.

The game, appropriately titled Fall Out Boy Trail, sets players upon a long and arduous tour that mixes together original elements, such as rationing food (band mates need delicious McNuggets and Vitamin Water to stay healthy) with Guitar Hero-style minigames that test even the quickest fingers. Unfortunately, our attempts to reach the end of the tour thus far have been felled by dehydration, constipation or the occasional zombie surfer. Still, as fun as it is the watch the pixelated band suffer at our hands, we're just as interested to read your misadventures with the alternative rock quartet in the comments below.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>classiccontestedutainmentfall-out-boyguitar-heromusicoregon-trailFri, 13 Mar 2009 08:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/psp-is-a-huge-opportunity-for-edutainment-dev/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/psp-is-a-huge-opportunity-for-edutainment-dev/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/psp-is-a-huge-opportunity-for-edutainment-dev/#comments
Marco Minoli, one of the guys responsible for The History Channel's Great Battles of Rome game, sees the future of his company on PSP. Speaking to GI.biz, he says "the PSP version gave us the best results. That's why we really keep pushing the PSP now, it's perfect for us, for our strategy of history and strategy."

Slitherine Software will continue working on educational video games, a genre Minoli thinks is expanding. As the company moves forward, PSP will continue to be in their sights. "To be very honest nobody's looking at the PSP as a huge opportunity at the moment, and I really think there is a huge opportunity there. I've seen sales charts for some territories now and a top ten PSP game sells more than a top ten Nintendo DS game," he added.

Greetings, Mario fanatics young and old! Finally, after innumerable requests and a handful of death threats, we are responding to high demand for a gallery wholly dedicated to educational Mario games. Awesome, let's learn! So, what is it Mario is going to be teaching us anyway?

As it turns out, quite a lot. His heroic deeds over the years have promoted such abstract virtues as bravery, selflessness and chivalric duty, but at the end of the day, hands-on skills and craftiness are to be rewarded. Rarely has Mario demonstrated his alleged ability to install and repair plumbing (aside from setting flame to the occasional pipe-dwelling piranha plant), and one must wonder whether he ever spends time away from his eccentric and widely-varied hobbies, like being an athlete in virtually any sport and solving picture logic puzzles. Does Mario know anything worth teaching? Ride a hyperlink over to our new gallery stuffed with pedagogy and find out! Oh, and bring a notepad.

It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps.

Games, according to some, are a gateway drug to books, drawing players away from the screen to engage in some old-school page turning. According to The Times, everyone from teachers to authors are embracing the idea of using video games to help encourage children to read, while nonprofit John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is even offering grants in hopes that game design principles can be used to help build literacy and other skills in school-agers.

Interesting as this is, it's not exactly new information, is it? As far back as the early '70s young'ns were getting a leg up in schools learning about the dysentery-filled life of 19th century pioneers in The Oregon Trail, while other edutainment and even mainstream titles like Civilization have helped spark interest in the word outside of games as well. Still, it's encouraging to see efforts that try to bridge education with our hobby of choice. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish up these last few pages of Animal Farm before getting back to Viva Piñata.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>edutainmentreadingvideo-gamesTue, 07 Oct 2008 17:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/wiiware-edutainment-hits-japan-this-month/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/wiiware-edutainment-hits-japan-this-month/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/wiiware-edutainment-hits-japan-this-month/#comments
Cable Entertainment announced a new WiiWare game for Japan, and it's already scheduled to come out in September! Kappa-kun to Asobou: Kappa-kun to Mori no Nakamatachi (Play with Kappa: Kappa and his Forest Friends) is an animated picture book with voice narration. The game, which tells the story of a young kappa who wants to become human, also includes simple quizzes about the material.

As totally hardcore gamers, we in the gaming community tend to look disapprovingly at young kids' edutainment, but we think that children's "non-games" on WiiWare actually seems like a great idea. It's cheap (600 points), can be purchased from home, and might encourage a few parents to share a story with their kids.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cable-entertainmentedutainmentkappa-to-asoboupicture-bookFri, 05 Sep 2008 11:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/beyond-serious-games-learning-without-training/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/beyond-serious-games-learning-without-training/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/14/beyond-serious-games-learning-without-training/#commentsEdutainment is becoming a larger part of gaming all the time, but at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, two educators are wondering if we shouldn't do away with the genre altogether. Dr. Graham Brown-Martin and Derek Robertson are using Nintendogs and Guitar Hero, among others, as examples of regular (read: fun) games that have some hidden educational merit. Nintendogs, for example, helps teach kids budgeting and money management almost by accident. Within the game, you have to manage your funds in order to keep your pups supplied with both essentials and extras, but it never feels like you're learning. Instead, you're just playing.

Robertson and Brown-Martin include Brain Age in the games-for-fun category, however, so we're not precisely sure where they're drawing the line. But they're definitely in favor of off-the-shelf games helping out in the classroom, rather than poorly-designed knock-offs that serve as more straightforward teaching tools (rather than actual games). After all the benefits we've seen from teachers who've tried the DS in classrooms around the world lead us to agree.

Remember their arguments for the future. This is a great way to explain to Mom that Grand Theft Auto is actually educational. You have money. You have to buy things. It's budgeting. Remind her that she should try it. We promise, this argument will take you far.

You can learn a lot with the DS! Pick up a new language, master a workout, train your brain ... and hey, just play, too.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>educationedutainmentschooltrainingThu, 14 Aug 2008 11:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/21/globe-ds-a-big-blue-marble-of-learning/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/21/globe-ds-a-big-blue-marble-of-learning/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/21/globe-ds-a-big-blue-marble-of-learning/#commentsEveryone loves the Wii Forecast Channel. It's funny, because the most entertaining thing to do is spin the world really fast, randomly stop on a location and promise yourself that you will travel there. After that, you realize that you are dirt poor, you can't travel overseas because of those threatening references you made to the UN, and all your assets have been seized by the state. Sure, you did have that promising career in waste management lined up, but it's too late to do anything about that now!

... Ahem. So, there's a globe thing coming to the DS now. It's not an instant-weather application or anything, but rather a detailed map of various worldy data. In Earth mode, you can check out specific information for each country, including climate, population and economic details. In History mode, you can touch a region to learn about how it has evolved over time -- evidently dating back to 3100BC. Finally, the Card mode lets you collect approximately 500 cards which have various puzzles and questions to answer. Obviously, the whole thing is in Japanese, but localization wouldn't be too much of a stretch considering the wealth of "edutainment" titles we see on the DS these days.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>edutainmentfamitsuglobetravelMon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/bob-the-builder-trains-young-ones-in-the-art-of-construction/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/bob-the-builder-trains-young-ones-in-the-art-of-construction/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/bob-the-builder-trains-young-ones-in-the-art-of-construction/#commentsWell, not really. But it is refreshing to see a game teach infants about the weight of things and angles of stuff, to prepare them for future careers in today's modern mills and processing facilities. Training the brain isn't necessary, so long as they can lift cats and cut wood!

It's probably best to elaborate. Bob the Builder (or, Bob and HATARAKU BUBUZU) has been commandeered for use in a Japanese children's learning game. It's not all heavy construction -- three modes of training are available. These include weight and maths training, 2D and 3D shape recognition, and vocabulary building.

Bob the Builder is a universally respected genius in the world of engineering and, well, building. He's also an affable English chap, and it's always handy to have one of those around. Check out the screens in the gallery for more learning fun -- but don't hope for a local release. We're sure Bob will show up when he is needed the most.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bob-the-builderbuildingconstructioneducationedutainmentjapantrainingTue, 01 Jul 2008 14:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/speed-reading-for-slowpokes/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/speed-reading-for-slowpokes/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/25/speed-reading-for-slowpokes/#commentsMost of us can't read Japanese at all, let alone fast enough to be tested. Dr. Akihiro Kawamura of the Speed Reading Committee won't have any such incompetence with DS owners today, and came up with training methods to become a master of speed reading. That is, reading Japanese, which we can't comprehend in the first place. How about speed looking?

Still, there's got to be some fluent Fanboy readers out there just itching to shave some seconds off their record recitals of the latest Kanji literature. The game teaches masterful reading through mini-games and a good old-fashioned timer. Expect Speed Reading DS to rocket up the North American sales charts!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>edutainmentjapankanjireadingspeed-readingtrainingWed, 25 Jun 2008 12:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/im-learnding-uk-school-picks-up-the-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/im-learnding-uk-school-picks-up-the-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/im-learnding-uk-school-picks-up-the-ds/#comments
Awright, what's all this then? Clunbury Primary School in merry old England has brought on a fleet of DS Lites to help combat stupidity in children. It's safe to say the kids aren't sitting around playing Mario Kart, but instead picking up any one of the maths, language or brain games available.

It's not just one tyke campaigning for Ninteducational powers. Head teacher Andrew Davies said using DS software is an "exciting and alternative way of approaching education." Capital idea, old bean. Just make sure this mother's kid doesn't enrol at your school anytime soon.

Clunbury was voted as the top Information and Communications Technology (ICT) school in England, using mp3 recorders, blogs and podcasts to teach the tots. Where was all the awesome technology when this blogger was battling with the Commodore 64?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brain-trainingeducationedutainmentenglandlanguagemathsschoolukTue, 24 Jun 2008 16:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/atlantic-link-launches-educational-software-for-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/atlantic-link-launches-educational-software-for-psp/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/atlantic-link-launches-educational-software-for-psp/#commentsAtlantic Link is now offering PSP owners the most valuable gift of all: the gift of learning. Their e-learning tools can now design courses for the PSP's internet browser, which can be deployed from Memory Stick or online. The tools allow creators to adapt their programs to the small screen.

Mike Alcock from Atlantic Link is perhaps a bit too enthusiastic about the possibilities of this service. In their press release, he notes: "The potential applications for this technology are huge and almost mind-boggling. Tourist guides, language training, product training and updates, maintenance guides and training, medical training, interactive museum guides, schools training, the list is almost endless."

It's great to see a company expand their offering to focus on Sony's handheld. Who knows? Perhaps we'll all be learning through our PSPs thanks to Atlantic Link. To see a demo of the service on your PSP, click here.

For those of you looking to bone up on your college-level analogies, Kaplan, Inc. has teamed with Aspyr Media to bring you a SAT prep title for the DS. The project is still early in development, so there is no name or screens yet. Sadly, that's about all we have to go on right now.

We must say, the decision to bring such an application to the DS shows (to us, at least) the kind of smarts that would score well on the SATs.

Kaplan, Inc. has teamed with Aspyr Media to create an SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS, according to Newsweek. Versions are also on their way to PC and Mac, where the test prep software is already fairly common.

The project is early in development and does not yet have a name. Newsweek reports that it was Aspyr who pitched the idea to Kaplan. If this is a success, can we get a DS game to help us understand Special Relativity? Perhaps we can get Professor Layton or perhaps even Wario as our virtual teacher.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aspyraspyr-mediacollegeDSeducationedutainmentMacPCsaplansatstudenttest-prepMon, 14 Apr 2008 09:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/brain-assist-for-the-brain-that-has-everything/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/brain-assist-for-the-brain-that-has-everything/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/brain-assist-for-the-brain-that-has-everything/#commentsHave you zipped through all the other traininggames, only to find yourself yearning for more? We have good news for you! There are games being released this week, and you know what that means: training games! Lucky for you, it's a brain trainer this time around.

All sarcasm aside, before you poopoo Brain Assist and push it aside, consider this: Sega's trainer, based on the Japanese arcade title (and its sequel) is a little different from the other brain games flooding the market. Brain Assist specifically targets only the right hemisphere of the brain and is designed to stimulate creativity. Yes, folks ... that means less math. Of course, the graphics are more simplistic than those in some of the other brain games we've seen, but the unique approach combined with the budget price of $19.99 that we love in training games might make this one worth a second glance if you're up for a little brain-engaging.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brain-assistedutainmentgallerysegatouch-de-unoutrainingTue, 26 Feb 2008 16:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/28/ds-fanboy-poll-education-vs-exercise-ds-vs-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/28/ds-fanboy-poll-education-vs-exercise-ds-vs-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/28/ds-fanboy-poll-education-vs-exercise-ds-vs-wii/#commentsFirst, the DS was poppingup in schools all over the world, as a tool to get students excited about learning. Now Nintendo's latest is following suit, but in a different way: the Wii is being used to promote fitness and exercise as a tool for virtual P.E. Not only does this bode well for Nintendo's efforts in world domination, but it also adds an interesting dimension to the future of gaming as a whole.

But it also opens up an interesting question for us Nintendo fans to consider. Which system will be more successful, worldwide, in schools? Will the DS do more to prop up education, or will the Wii help get kids moving? Of course, it must be mentioned that the DS can be used as an exercisetool as well. After all, it's important to know how to walk.

Since the inception of the video game, there have been those who would try to re-purpose electronic interactive entertainment for more ... educational pursuits. As a rule we're typically supportive of these efforts, but a recent project by students at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center has just pushed us too far. They've just used a game called Within Range to ... teach the Dewey Decimal System. [Update: It's the Library of Congress classification system. See below paragraph for more insight into how this error was made.]

We've made it clear how we feel about libraries (or as we think of them, the crappy, flammable Internet that also has homeless people), so you can understand why this is so offensive to us. That's doubled by the fact that the fun has been filed under "N" for "non-existent." Think all games deserve a fair shake? Go ahead, but don't say we didn't warn you.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>booksedutainmentlibrariesPCsadnessFri, 18 Jan 2008 10:25:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/wii-gamers-need-more-common-sense/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/wii-gamers-need-more-common-sense/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/16/wii-gamers-need-more-common-sense/#comments
If you were hoping to get a crack at Otona No Joushikiryoku Training DS, well, too bad. That's one DS training game that isn't yet on board for an English-language release, but it does seem to be headed toward the Wii ... at least, in Japan. The non-game focuses not on common sense as we often colloquially use the phrase, but more on "general knowledge." For example, in the above screen, players are asked to locate the Caribbean Sea. From some of the other screens (handily included in our gallery below), we can see that the title focuses on a variety of skills and knowledges that are useful, from tying a tie to cultural information.

Perhaps the Wii title will have a better chance of crossing the globe, considering the ever-expanding casual market, but for now, we'll have to settle for a little free translation training from the kanji-heavy screens.

Would you steal brains? USC Annenberg School for Communication associate professor Doug Thomas hopes to pose the question to tweens through his upcoming edutainment release Modern Prometheus. The game pits players as Dr. Frankenstein's lovely assistant, tasked with a number of difficult ethical questions, like: Steal brains outta the local cemetery to cure the plague or politely leave the dead to rest and soon join them?

Modern Prometheus takes just one hour to 'beat,' but gameplay is theoretically extended through both classroom and informal discussion (Thomas seems certain grave robbing could be a hot lunchroom topic). Actually getting Modern Prometheus into schools is the hard part, but Thomas hopes that by teaming with another edutainment developer, Indiana University professor Sasha Barab, and promoting through mediums like Second Life, he can work his game into middle school curriculum by springtime. "It's not Halo 3," says Thomas, "but for the age group we are working with now it's pretty good."

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>educationedutainmentfrankensteinmodern-prometheusThu, 06 Dec 2007 23:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/01/todays-wildest-video-wolf-quest/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/01/todays-wildest-video-wolf-quest/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/01/todays-wildest-video-wolf-quest/#commentsFiled under: Mac, PC, Online, Simulations, Video, CasualIn what could be the greatest game trailer of all time, this Wolf Quest video introduces the December, 2007 simulation title. You play a wolf capable of forming a pack with other players online, where you do wolfy things, like hunting, peeing on stuff, and howling. The game, being released through the Minnesota Zoo, will be a free Mac/PC download.

The trailer strikes an uncanny balance of mediocre (read: hilarious) production values and game content that genuinely looks fun. While the educational game may skew towards a younger audience, any animal fan might enjoy the title.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>educationaledutainmentmacMinnesotaZoookamipctrailertwilightprincesswolfwolf questWolfQuestWed, 01 Aug 2007 00:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/05/ds-game-aimed-at-preschoolers-announced-i-did-it-mum/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/05/ds-game-aimed-at-preschoolers-announced-i-did-it-mum/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/05/ds-game-aimed-at-preschoolers-announced-i-did-it-mum/#commentsFiled under: Arcade, Nintendo DS, ActionUK publisher 505 Games announced today I Did It Mum!, a collection of educational mini-games aimed at preschool boys and girls. The DS title will come in two separate versions, one for each gender, and feature games such as "toy train", "drive the car", "color the animals", and "little kitchen". I Did It Mum! even has a voice recording option that allows parents to record a congratulatory message (or, for kicks, nonsensical sounds to confuse and/or delight) that will be played when mini-games are complete. Even though it's aimed at preschoolers, we're sure your average gamer would still get a kick out of playing house in "little kitchen".

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>505entertainmentdsedutainmentkidsnintendopreschoolersukThu, 05 Jul 2007 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/30/origami-on-your-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/30/origami-on-your-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/30/origami-on-your-ds/#commentsFiled under: Nintendo DS, CasualTDK is tossing their entry into the tsunami of training games for the Nintendo DS. DS Origami sits comfortably alongside other non-games that teach gardening, skin care, yoga, and language skills. The top screen shows users where to make folds while a controllable video plays on the bottom screen. Over 100 different origami projects are included from hamsters to wedding dresses to the famous crane. This begs the question: do we need a game that teaches origami, or would a book or website suffice?

So maybe you're not really into the idea of a cookbook, and you haven't got much of an urge to learn yoga or French. But we're willing to bet there's something you'd like to use your DS for beyond gaming. What kind of apps or non-games might appeal to you? With the new internet browser, one potential function of the DS is fulfilled, but what might appeal to you? Something that's already available (just not in the US), or at least something that's already in development? Or would you want to design some other non-game or edutainment title?

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cookbookdsdedutainmentlifestyleyogaFri, 08 Jun 2007 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/29/escape-the-ghetto-czech-style/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/29/escape-the-ghetto-czech-style/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/29/escape-the-ghetto-czech-style/#commentsFiled under: Culture, PCBuilding on the success of a board game called Cesta z Ghetta (Out of the Ghetto), an organization called Tady a Ted (Here & Now) recently announced its plans to release a video game designed to educate students about the challenges of poverty in the Czech Republic. Themes in GhettOut! will include dealing with authorities, discrimination, housing, crime, and drugs. Players learn what it's like to live in constant uncertainty trying to sort everything out and live a successful life.

The game will be available as a download, and Here & Now is aiming for a December release. According to the organization, interest in GhettOut! is high in a number of countries, so an English-language release is inevitable. Also distinctly possible: a hip hop music video unveiled in tandem with the game. Seriously.

The latest quirky non-game in Japan is Quiz & Touch Kensaku Mushi Sukan (Quiz & Touch Insect Encyclopedia). This edutainment title aims to teach players about the six-legged creepy crawlies. Test your knowledge of both the appearance and sounds of many bug species through a series of quizzes and minigames. Kind of makes bird watching seem exciting, doesn't it?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsedutainmentjapanesenintendonongameMon, 28 May 2007 14:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/ds-english-training-software-helps-japanese-students-increase-vo/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/ds-english-training-software-helps-japanese-students-increase-vo/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/ds-english-training-software-helps-japanese-students-increase-vo/#commentsFiled under: Culture, Nintendo DSJunior high schools in Kyoto, Japan recently reported a sharp improvement in English language skills thanks to the Nintendo DS. The Yawata Municipal Board of Education distributed DS systems with copies of Chuugaku Eitango Target 1800 DS, an English training program, to English classes across the district's schools. Over the course of five months, students' vocabulary increased between 300 and 400 words, bumping them up to the equivalent of level 3 in the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency held by only 30% of junior high school students in Japan.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsedutainmentjapanlearningnintendotrainingFri, 25 May 2007 11:01:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/nms-brain-age-2-confirmation-and-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/nms-brain-age-2-confirmation-and-impressions/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/nms-brain-age-2-confirmation-and-impressions/#comments
The mocking head of Dr. Kawashima is officially a go -- he will be back to taunt you a second time. Joystiq's own man on the scene got a chance for a little hands-on (brains-on?) action with the good doctor at this week's Nintendo Media Summit. There's really not a lot to "fix" when it comes to Brain Age, except perhaps some of the more famous glitches, and that seems to be where a lot of the improvements focused. And there's an exciting extra: an unlockable, fully playable version of the original NES Dr. Mario! Hear that? It's the sound of thousands of retro-lovers squealing in delight.

We will definitely admit that we're excited to give the sequel a chance ourselves, but mostly, we're looking forward to another few years of Photoshop fodder. The head of Dr. Kawashima is filled with comedy, and the above screenshot is just about the best thing we've ever seen in a video game.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brain age 2BrainAge2edutainmentimpressionsmore brain trainingMoreBrainTrainingnms07Fri, 25 May 2007 09:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/the-ds-takes-kyoto-education-style/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/the-ds-takes-kyoto-education-style/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/the-ds-takes-kyoto-education-style/#commentsLast fall, we wrote about a pilot program with the DS that was being tested in a secondary school in Japan. Eight months later, it seems that program bore fruit, because now it's being implemented in all the upper schools in the city of Yawata in Kyoto, Japan. Using Chuugaku Eitango Target 1800 DS markedly improved students' English vocabulary -- they showed increases that averaged at 40%. Now we want our language games just that much more.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsedutainmentenglishjapankyotoschoolWed, 23 May 2007 16:01:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/a-look-at-my-word-coach-and-ds-wii-connectivity/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/a-look-at-my-word-coach-and-ds-wii-connectivity/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/23/a-look-at-my-word-coach-and-ds-wii-connectivity/#comments
Ubisoft let fly with the details on their latest new Nintendo title, the now-official My Word Coach, a vocabulary trainer with various single and multiplayer modes. Let us be among the first to say it: we're excited. In fact, we're doubleplus excited, because you need this game.

Yes, you. You. Right there. We've been reading your forum and LiveJournal posts for years. You didn't loose anything (unless you dig archery), and you're really doesn't refer to anything owned, but rather, something that is. And while there may be more than two versions of the homophones too and to, only one of these can be used to communicate that you also want something (like delicious ice cream).

But enough with the lecture. The most exciting bit about My Word Coach is on the Wii side of the news, as the title is coming out for both platforms. Before you protest that the Wii isn't perhaps best suited for writing, check this out: you can use your DS to control the Wii version. According to IGN, there are several ways in which the DS can be utilized, and "you won't even need a DS copy of the game for this particular mode" (in reference to a mode that requires players fill in the missing letter of a word). This seems to intimate that for other modes, both the Wii and DS versions of the game may be necessary for full interaction. While that has a lot of potential, we just hope it's worth the expense.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualconnectivitydsedutainmentmultiplayermy word coachMyWordCoachtrainingvocabularywiiWed, 23 May 2007 09:51:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/16/more-brain-training-coming-to-europe-maybe-us/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/16/more-brain-training-coming-to-europe-maybe-us/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/16/more-brain-training-coming-to-europe-maybe-us/#commentsFiled under: Culture, Nintendo DS, PuzzleThe evil floating head of Dr. Kawashima returns! Gamasutra reports that More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?, the sequel to Brain Age (known outside of the US as Brain Training), is coming to Europe this summer.

The educational series has been a phenomenal success for Nintendo -- in Japan, the sequel sold over 400,000 in its first week of release. More Brain Training will cost €30/£19.99 (approx. US $41) at launch.

There have been no plans announced for a US release, though Gamestop has listedBrain Age 2 as arriving August 1 for $19.99.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brain agebrain trainingBrainAgeBrainTrainingDSeducationedutainmentkawashimaWed, 16 May 2007 13:54:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/16/ds-daily-finally-with-the-language-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/16/ds-daily-finally-with-the-language-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/16/ds-daily-finally-with-the-language-games/#commentsThree words we weren't sure we'd ever say: God bless Ubisoft. They're finally bringing some English-based language trainers to the DS: listings for My French Coach and My Spanish Coach have turned up on GameFly. We've yearned for such as these after drooling over all the English and Kanji trainers out for Japanese DS owners, and at last, it looks like the tide has turned in our favor. Between this and Jam Sessions, we're starting to feel a little better about Ubisoft and their unfortunate port habit.

Also listed is My Word Coach, which sounds like it might be a vocabulary trainer, and we're all for that! We're hoping we'll begin to hear words like mellifluous and tmesis in daily conversation.

So today's question is: are you interested in any of these three, or are you firmly holding out for languages not taught in the average high school? Or perhaps we should say, vous voulez acheter Mon Entraîneur Français? Feel free to correct any errors there -- we could use a French coach!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dsdsdedutainmentfrenchlanguageliteMy French CoachMy Spanish CoachMy Word CoachMyFrenchCoachMySpanishCoachMyWordCoachnintendospanishubisoftWed, 16 May 2007 09:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/ubisoft-to-assist-in-the-learning-of-glorious-languages/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/ubisoft-to-assist-in-the-learning-of-glorious-languages/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/ubisoft-to-assist-in-the-learning-of-glorious-languages/#commentsFiled under: Culture, Nintendo DSBonjour! Gamefly is really letting us know what's coming down the pipeline lately. Siliconera reports that they spotted "games" My Spanish Coach and My French Coach for the Nintendo DS on the site with an October release. We're going to guess that the Ubisoft published games are meant to assist the average unilingual American in picking up another language -- although French wouldn't be all that helpful on the North American continent unless you got lost in the wilderness of Quebec.

Ubisoft will also release My Word Coach, which would seem like a vocabulary enhancement tool. Wii cüd rly uz dat. We'd like to think that these "games" would be used in schools to teach kids, but dagnabbit, this is America and nobody should speak anything but American. And drink Budweiser, eat Kraft cheese, drive a GM truck ... etc., etc. Can't we just bypass the whole "learning" thing and just get a universal translator up and running already?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coachDSedutainmentlanguagesubisoftTue, 15 May 2007 20:55:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/25/is-nintendogs-the-most-important-ds-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/25/is-nintendogs-the-most-important-ds-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/25/is-nintendogs-the-most-important-ds-game/#commentsThe folks at GamePro have put together a pretty interesting feature listing their picks for the top 52 most important games ever. These aren't necessarily the best games, or the best-selling games, but their choices for those titles that have been the most influential on gaming as a whole. And while we're sure many of their picks will be questioned and debated to the point of exhaustion, we're really only interested in one small part of the list -- that is, the only DS title to make the cut. Nintendogs weighs in at #44. Does this mean it's the most influential of all DS games? Since it's the only one on the list, it would seem so, and while we agree that Nintendogs certainly advanced gaming, we might argue that since the franchise draws heavily on both Animal Crossing and the digital pet phenomenon, it's hard to see Nintendogs as a "focusing lens" that forever changed gaming. Does that mean Nintendogs did nothing new? Of course it did. But the idea of a needy digipet existed long before Nintendo popularized the portable pooches with their array of titles. GamePro says "first" doesn't matter -- it's being the folks that do it right that matters -- Nintendogs certainly did a lot of things right, but is it the most important game on the DS? It's an interesting question.

And we have a question of our own -- where's Brain Age? The game that started the training phenomenon is easily equally influential, or perhaps even more so. But we won't argue; rather, we admire the effort that goes into such a list, and after skimming the comments on the article, we don't envy the flood of angry e-mails that are surely flowing into the mailboxes of the writers.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Animal CrossingAnimalCrossingBrain AgeBrainAgedigital petDigitalPetDSedutainmentinfluentialNintendoNintendogsWed, 25 Apr 2007 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/06/study-educational-software-doesnt-work/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/06/study-educational-software-doesnt-work/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/06/study-educational-software-doesnt-work/#commentsFiled under: Culture, Business, PoliticsThe U.S. Department of Education issued a report yesterday that educational software of all types, from the video-game-like to the ultra-dry, "has no significant impact on student performance." And folks like Elliot Soloway, professor of educational tech at U. Michigan, are miffed. Says Soloway, "It is the poor kids who will suffer, because it is their schools who will not get technology because of this study."

That's one way to look at it. Here's another way: the study could help schools, both underfunded and not, because now their administrators might spend more money on good teachers and less on Oregon Trail. Shooting squirrels in a video game is fun, but it's no substitute for a real human showing you how to shoot squirrels.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>educational gamesEducationalGamesedutainmentoregon trailOregonTrailschoolsstudyFri, 06 Apr 2007 10:28:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/learn-japanese-with-homebrew-ds-app/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/learn-japanese-with-homebrew-ds-app/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/learn-japanese-with-homebrew-ds-app/#commentsFiled under: Culture, Nintendo DSJapanese gamers can learn English with their DS. There's even a Japanese-English dictionary for the system. Now it's time for us poor monoglot anglophones to expand our linguistic horizons. A coder known as Zoelen has just released an early version of Project JDS. The app teaches you to recognize and write both hiragana and katakana characters, even listen to their pronunciation. And if you're really nice, you can use the touch screen to draw characters and get berated for using the wrong stroke order!

It isn't much to look at, but it gets the job done and is surprisingly feature-rich for a homemade app. Now if only it had a catchy name. Something like ... Touch Dic.